Inside Lacrosse Laxies 2010: Player of the Year Winners

If you ever check in on us at InsideLacrosse.com, you know lacrosse fans aren't short on opinions. In fact, Laxies prevent roughly 10% of heart attacks lax-worldwide by opening up the floodgates and permitting fans to rinse themselves of a year's worth of pent up, hyper-opinionated aggression.

And the fans have spoken. Starting with the overall Inside Lacrosse Player of the Year and Division I Player of the Year, Ned Crotty and continuing through Division II and III, women's and the pro leagues, here are the winners for players of the year.

Inside Lacrosse Player of the Year

36.2% Ned Crotty, Duke/Chicago Machine/U.S. Team
Unseating Paul Rabil for the first time in earning the Laxies’ highest honor, Crotty can add yet another feat to his incredible year.

Division I Player of the Year

MLL Player of the Year

Paul. Freaking. Rabil. If three words can sum up the world of lacrosse, it’s Paul freaking Rabil, the face of the sport and the hardest shooter East and West of the Mississippi. He’s taken the sport to a new level and even inspired Tom Brady to get his flow game on point.

Rabil had another big year for the Cannons, scoring 21 goals — including six two-pointers — that solidified him as the toughest 1-on-1 draw in MLL. Operation Enduring Rabil has been in effect since the Cannons drafted him in 2008, and he’s been bombing creases with increased ferocity as he’s matured his game. Look for this fan favorite and two-time defending MLL POY Laxie Award winner to take it up to 112 MPH next season.

NLL Player of the Year

The Canadian flag flew a little lower this summer after Casey Powell became the first American-born player to win NLL MVP honors, allowing him to run away with the NLL Player of the Year Laxie for the second straight year. Powell has seemingly stopped time in its tracks, posting a career-high 44 goals and 36 assists in 2010, frustrating opponents with his timeless abilities and invaluable leadership. Powell, like a fine wine and unlike a gnarly lax tat, has improved with time and has me hankering for a sip this season when he suits up for the Boston Blazers.